A U3 RNA pseudogene in mouse: sequence and organization in genomic DNA

Abstract
A mouse U3 RNA pseudogene has been identified; it corresponds to a U3B full length coding sequence with a 3'‐oligo(A) tail, precisely flanked at both ends by a pair of 15 bp direct repeats. These structural features suggest that it has arisen through an RNA‐mediated mechanism involving an insertion at staggered nicks in the genome. Sequence data indicate that this mouse specimen has been generated by a different event as compared to the recently described rat pseudogenes. It represents the first reported case, for a pseudogene of this class, to be present at more than one copy per genome.